The present invention relates to a control lever for controlling a vehicle, in particular a self-propelled working machine such as a tractor, a combine harvester, a forage harvester, an excavator, or the like.
Control levers of that type are generally widespread, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,269 B2 can be named as an example, among many other documents. A control lever of that type generally includes a grip head for handling by the user, and a shaft that is displaceable in a guide mechanism and/or is swivelably guided about at least one axis, the position of which specifies an operating state of the vehicle desired by the driver, such as ground speed, direction of travel, or the like. Control elements that can be activated using the fingers of a hand grasping the grip handle to control further functions of the vehicle, as likewise described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,269 B2, can be provided on the grip head of a control level of this type.
When working with a vehicle of this type, it is often necessary to firmly grasp the grip handle for long periods of time. Many self-propelled working machines have a driver's cab that is enclosed by large sheets of glass, and so the driver's cab heats up considerably when the sun shines. Sweat that is secreted by the hand that is grasping the grip head cannot evaporate; this is uncomfortable to the driver and can even pose a risk if the hand tends to slip off of the grip head.
The same problems can occur with a vehicle that does not have a closed driver's cab if it is exposed to high external temperatures.
From the field of passenger car design it is known to provide a leather covering on control components that are handled continuously during driving operation, in particular a steering wheel or gear shift lever. A covering of this type is only moderately capable of absorbing sweat that has been secreted. Since a gear shift lever is not grasped continuously, and the position of the hands on the steering wheel changes continuously, the sweat that is absorbed can evaporate, thereby minimizing the risk that the leather will become slippery. This solution is unsuitable for a control lever of a self-propelled working machine for two reasons, namely that a leather surface must be porous in order to absorb moisture and is therefore sensitive to the types of contamination that are common in an agricultural setting, and because the control lever of a self-propelled working machine, unlike a steering wheel, must often be grasped for a long period of time without changing the hand position, thereby preventing absorbed moisture from evaporating.